Dallas Cowboys Blog

The Cowboys are preparing for Sunday’s regular season opener on the assumption that cornerback Terence Newman and tight end Martellus Bennett won’t be able to play.

Neither absence should come as a surprise. Newman hasn’t practiced since he strained his groin on Aug. 4. While he tweeted afterwards that he should be ready to play against the New York Jets, club officials were never that optimistic. His original timetable of five to six weeks always left his availability for the season opener in doubt.

Today marks the start of the fifth week since Newman’s injury.

Bennett, meanwhile, is dealing with a high ankle sprain and wasn’t even cleared to run until Monday. The club’s decision to keep Martin Rucker as a fourth tight end on the initial 53-man roster was a strong indication that Bennett wouldn’t be ready.

The Cowboys won’t rule Newman and Bennett out until later in the week. But it’s unlikely that either player will make enough progress in the next few days to be cleared to play.

Orlando Scandrick would get the start at cornerback for Newman while John Phillips would assume Bennett’s role as the second tight end.